When I posted my Thanksgiving menu, I asked you wonderful readers to suggest ideas for recipes you wanted to see posted before turkey day. What I meant was anything at all that you might make for Thanksgiving, certainly not limited to what I had planned for my own menu, but nearly all the suggestions made were things from my menu. I certainly did not expect this dish to be the most requested, but you all have great taste.

When I was a little girl and I visited my paternal grandparents, my grandma would always make me brown rice. She was never all that into cooking as I recall, and I don’t remember many things she might have made for me, but I will always remember her brown rice. I would immediately ask for that, along with a glass of apple juice, when I came to visit. Even though I don’t think anyone in my family ever made something exactly like this casserole while I was growing up, it definitely had that homemade with love vibe and it reminded me of my sweet grandma. It’s a very simplistic dish, creamy and comforting. The only change that I will make next time around will be to double the mushrooms, as I felt there were too few compared to the rice and certainly too few to be titled “mushroom casserole”. (I have reflected this change below). We are really looking forward to having this as part of our Thanksgiving table, and many future meals as well. Enjoy!

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish. In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the mushrooms in the olive oil, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onions to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir to combine.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, and salt until smooth. Add in the rice mixture and stir gently until well blended. Sprinkle most of the Parmesan over the top, reserving a bit for finishing. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20-30 minutes more, until the top is lightly browned. Top with remaining Parmesan and fresh herbs, if desired.

Source

Oh yum, this does sound so comforting! It reminds me of that standard Broccoli-Cheese casserole with rice and cream of mushroom soup — it was always one of my favorite dishes growing up. I can’t wait to try this!

http://movitabeaucoup.com/ movita beaucoup

This sounds spectacular! There’s just something about a casserole… perfect.

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com Julie @ Table for Two

Oohh! This looks yummy! I love mushroom & rice casseroles :) it seems so simple to make too. Thanks for sharing, Annie! I also love that you took the liberty to write out “(reduced fat is fine)” next to the items that you know readers will question :)

http://www.daliasdelights.blogspot.com/ Dalia

Wow Annie. Thanks! This year I will replace the traditional stuffing with this recipe! Cant wait to try it!

http://warmvanillasugar.wordpress.com/ Katrina

This sounds absolutely delicious. Love the combination of the cheeses, rice and mushrooms. Yum!

http://www.confessionsofacookbookqueen.com/ Cookbook Queen

I love mushrooms, they’re seriously one of my all time favorite things. This looks so comforting and yummy!!

http://everydayreading.blogspot.com Janssen

I posted this same recipe today which is crazy, since I post about 15 recipes a year. I changed mine up quite a lot, though, adding more cheese, spinach/swiss chard, and using half wild rice and half brown rice.

Karen

Yum! Thanks so much for posting. I won’t be making this for Thanksgiving, but this may be tonight’s meatless main dish!

http://www.thelifeofawife.com/ sherri lynn @ life of a wife

My mom would love this! I’m bookmarking to make it next time she visits.

http://www.lovely-living.com/ Carrie C.

This is exactly what I needed – a nice vegetarian friendly casserole recipe to add to my arsenal. I’ve been trying to perfect a few more casserole recipes as I’ve been dropping off food for people home from funerals, long trips, and with new babies. Thanks so much!

I am thinking of adding chicken and making it a meal for tonight! Looks tasty! I bet it would be a good way to use up left over Turkey from Thanksgiving too! Yum!

http://sweetsugarbelle.com SweetSugarBelle

This is prettier than I imagined!!! Im thinking I’ll have to try this!

http://successalongtheweigh.blogspot.com/ The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh

Hubby will LOVE this!

Renee

Can this be made with white rice?

http://consideringsparrowsandlilies.blogspot.com Lianne

This sounds amazing; I’m picking up some mushrooms today…

http://www.daliasdelights.blogspot.com/ Dalia

Annie, how many cups of uncooked brown rice yield 3 cups cooked?

58Teresa

This looks really tempting – do you think it would be ok to substitute yogurt for sour cream?

Annie

I would recommend reading your package of rice, as I’m sure they all vary a bit.

Annie

Sure.

Annie

I would think so but the only way to know for sure is try it and see.

Annie

Oh yes, I’ve learned that one many times over :)

http://www.boogaj.com Julie

This looks delicious — thanks for sharing!

Wendi

YUM!! I can’t wait to make this over the weekend. It’s nice to have new side dish go to’s…I want to tell you how much I love your blog. My husband and I loved the spinach dish last week and I think I’ve made the baked pumpkin oatmeal for 3 weeks straight!! Thank you!!!!!! :)

http://www.bananasforbourbon.blogspot.com Julie @BananasForBourbon

Oh, this sounds delicious! Simple ingredients that I’ll bet taste fantastic. I am totally making this asap. I’ve been obsessed with mushrooms lately! I wonder if spinach would be good in there as well. I’m a vegaholic. :)

And I second the comment about identifying that reduced fat is ok. I usually buy the reduced fat version of sour cream and cottage cheese, but I know with some recipes that can lead to curdling and breaking, so I’m glad for the endorsement so I don’t wonder. Thanks!

http://annieseats heather goodman

This looks super good, but Im scared of the cottage cheese part. Is is chunky? Would ricotta be better or creepy?

http://www.kitchen-concoctions.com Heather of Kitchen Concoctions

I always think of stuffing and sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes for a starchy Thanksgiving side but never rice. But this sounds like the perfect side dish for a fall feast!

http://www.bakeyourday.net/ Cassie

This sounds wonderful! I love chicken and rice casserole but I love vegetarian dishes even more, this sounds right up my alley!

Melissa

I typically despise brown rice but this sounds so good I may give it another try!

http://atthepatisserie.wordpress.com Ann P.

YES! This recipe sounds every bit as wonderful as I was expecting! It was definitely the dish I was wondering the most about on your menu (never heard of mushroom casserole!), and the one I was most excited about potentially eating next Thursday! Thank you Annie, you da bomb :)

http://aimeewrites.com Aimee

Yum, thank you SO much! I love a good casserole, and this one isn’t as full of unhealthy stuff as most “holiday casseroles” I see out there. I will be keeping this one for sure!

Annie

I feel exactly the same way and I think that’s part of what drew me to this casserole. Hope you enjoy it!

http://christischirps.blogspot.com Christi’s Chirps

This looks great! I love a cheesy rice casserole! Throw in some fresh mushrooms and this is sure to become a new favorite of mine!

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers, Christi

Annie

Don’t worry. I’m a cottage cheese hater but I still love this stuff. Just get the small curd variety if you are unsure.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/jadeakiss Kacey

I made this as a side dish for dinner last night. I substitued non-fat greek yogurt for the sour cream. Super yummy (and healthy!)! This will definately be an addition to our Thanksgiving table!

Amy

I think mushroom lovers are a little fanatical about their ‘shrooms. So I am not the least bit suprised that this dish created the biggest buzz. I am going to find a way to make oven space for this. I love mushrooms and my husband does not, so what better time to make this to share with other mushroom lovers than on Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing. :)

http://www.thehealthyfoodie.net Sonia The Healthy Foodie

Spectacular. This looks so good! I have to give it a try. On my list it goes! I think I’ll add a few chestnuts to mine! :) Thanks for the inspiration!

http://illhaveseconds.blogspot.com Emily

This sounds really yummy, and a perfect dish to put on the Thanksgiving table! My mom makes an excellent vegetarian casserole with brown rice, mushrooms, cauliflower and cheese ( I think it might be from either the Silver Palate cookbook or Moosewood), and I think this is something I’ll have to pass along to her!

http://consideringsparrowsandlilies.blogspot.com Lianne

I made this last night, and it was phenomenal! My mother-in-law and fiance both don’t like cottage cheese, but they loved this. So yummy!

http://Fatuglyrhino.blogspot.com Lauren Ochoa

I will definitely be making this soon. I love brown rice and I also love mushrooms so I don’t know how I could NOT love this dish. I think it would make a delicious light meal with a crusty baguette and a glass of white wine.

http://www.nibblemethis.com Chris

Holy cow, that does look good. Even with all the brown and dark color, you managed to make it look bright and tasty. Nice job as always.

Dalia

Hi Annie, Can this be prepared and assembled the night before and baked the day of?

http://www.acouplecooks.com Sonja @ A Couple Cooks

This looks delicious!! I used to hate mushrooms but now I can’t get enough of them! What a sweet memory about your grandma too :)

Annie

I think so. That’s what I plan to do anyway!

Dalia

Thanks Annie. Good Luck to both of us :) Happy Thanksgiving!

Jessica

Made it as a test-run tonight for dinner. It was a hit! My 2 & 4 year olds even loved it. Thanks for the great recipe!

CJ

Mushrooms and rice are two of my toddler’s favorite things ever…he is going to love this!

Olivia S.

Sounds delicious! I’ve got it on my list to try. How do you think it would fare if I prepared it ahead of time and then froze it? Thanks!

Annie

Please see the FAQ page.

Wendi

We had this this weekend and YUMMY!!!

Nancy

Oh my goodness! Just put it in the oven. It is the best thing I think I have tasted in a while… And that was in it’s pre-baked state! Can’t wait to taste the final product!

http://www.thistinyspark.com Lin

I made this last night and followed it exactly. It was DELICIOUS and even the leftovers were tasty. My 1 year old went crazy for it and ate a bigger portion than even I did!

It was a lot like risotto without all the fuss of making risotto. We will be having this again and again! Thanks!!

http://cookingwithnettie.blogspot.com Nettie Moore

This looks oh so yummy, I love 101 cookbooks. Love your blog!

http://www.hoteatsandcoolreads.com Sheena

We made this today for Thanksgiving and it turned out great! I’m also not a fan of cottage cheese, but it works great with this! Thanks for posting this recipe!

Samantha Levy

This dish was AMAZING annie!! I did it exactly as said and it was great. My vegetarian boyfriend loved it and wants to try adding even more vegetables. I myself am a fan of tuna and think it would be wonderful as well. Such a great recipe!

Barbara

This looks delish. We are an egg free family due to a severe allergy. Any suggestions for a substitution? Thanks.

Anonymous

Whatever egg subs you might normally use should work, but I haven’t tried any myself. See the FAQ page for more info on substitutions.

Claire luck

This was very tasty. Mine came out a little dry so I would probably add some other veg or maybe courgettes next time. Will definitely make this again.

http://www.theironyou.com/ Mary

YUM! This looks unbelievable…I have to try it!

Susannahek

Loved loved this dish! Used 250g each of cottage cheese and sour cream and no egg and tasted like magic. Have never thought of combining the three (with rice) but as I expressed it was great. Thanks for the fab idea :).

Sarah

With all the rave reviews, I knew I had to try this. It’s been bookmarked for a while, and I finally got around to making it tonight. The only change I made was putting the casserole into two 1-quart baking dishes since I don’t have a 2-quart. Otherwise, followed the recipe exactly, and both dishes for some reason came out very runny. I triple-checked the recipe to make sure I wasn’t supposed to drain the liquid after sauteing the mushrooms. I guess before I make it again, I’ll just have to buy myself a 2-quart baking dish!

annieseats

The size of dish shouldn’t affect it. I actually baked mine in several small dishes the first time around and it hasn’t been runny for me at all. I’m not sure why that would have happened. I suppose just making extra sure that the mushrooms have been adequately cooked so that they don’t release additional liquid when baking would be my suggestion. Hope that helps!